Solar-energy-system performance evaluation: Roberts Home, Reston, Virginia, February 1982-July 1982

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5704684· OSTI ID:5704684

Spears, J. W.

The Roberts Home in Reston, Virginia is equipped with a passive space heating and cooling system. The passive solar heating system provided 82% of the equipment heating load of 19.5 million Btu for the three-month period, February 1982 through April 1982. The net electrical energy savings from the passive solar space heating system were 4512 kWh or $271 at an average electrical power cost of $0.06 per kWh. Space heating is supplied by three sections of two-story Trmbe wall and a sunspace located on the third floor. Solar energy is stored in the 12-inch Trombe wall, the hollow core north wall, and the masonry walls of two centrally located fireplaces. Four fans draw air from the space between the Trombe wall and the glazing through the north wall core. Three R-12 Thermal Technology curtains reduce nighttime losses from the Trombe wall. The house walls are insulated to R-24 and the roof to R-32. Double-glazed Pella windows are used throughout the house. Backup heat is supplied by electric baseboard heaters and three window-mounted heat pumps. The net electrical energy savings from the passive cooling system were $144 for the period May 1982 through July 1982. In the cooling season, the thermal curtain is closed during the day to avoid solar gain, and opened at night. The sunspace glazing is protected by roll-down metal decking. Two thermal chimneys, which are glazed at the top with Plexiglass to admit solar energy, assist in convecting warm air out of building. A set of cooling tubes supplies cool air to the bottom of the Trombe wall cavity. The cool air is drawn past the wall's surface, between the thermal curtain and the wall, when the curtain is down. Three heat pumps provide auxiliary cooling.

• Research Organization: Vitro Labs., Silver Spring, MD (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC01-79CS30027
• OSTI ID: 5704684
• Report Number(s): SOLAR/1122-83/14; ON: DE83017319
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
HOUSES
PASSIVE SOLAR COOLING SYSTEMS
PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
PERFORMANCE
ATTACHED GREENHOUSES
CHIMNEYS
SOLAR FRACTION
TROMBE WALLS
TUBES
BUILDINGS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EQUIPMENT
GREENHOUSES
HEATING SYSTEMS
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
SOLAR COOLING SYSTEMS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
WALLS
140901* - Solar Thermal Utilization- Space Heating & Cooling
299001 - Energy Planning & Policy- Solar- (1989-)